Gearing Down to Green Up

AER initiative makes fleet vehicles easier on the environment and the wallet

Alberta
- February 5, 2018

Average monthly CO2 emissions per vehicle have fallen by
20 per cent since 2014.

Kermit the Frog was right: it’s not easy being green. That’s especially true when it comes to getting from point A to point B in Alberta.

Many Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) employees need a vehicle for work, whether it’s to travel to inspect a well or cross a city to meet with stakeholder groups. Although today’s vehicles are nothing compared to the “gas-guzzlers” of old, many people still find it a challenge to use “green” and “vehicles” in the same sentence.

With more than 150 vehicles in our fleet, the AER understands the importance of decreasing our environmental footprint while still being able to do our work.

In 2014, the AER began the “green the fleet” initiative. Since then, we’ve collected and crunched the numbers about our fleet and similar ones across the oil and gas industry. We’ve given our vehicle types a hard look, as well as how staff use them and what we can do to reduce our overall environmental impact.

And as the below results show, the initiative is paying off.

Eliminated our three-quarter-ton trucks

In 2014, there were 20 three-quarter ton trucks in our fleet. These vehicles had some serious power, but their heavy structures were tough on fuel economy and the environment. AER drivers have since given up these heavyweight champions for half-ton pick-up trucks with smaller, more fuel-efficient engines.

Reduced the number of vehicles in our fleet

Alberta once saw 193 AER vehicles roam its highways and roads; that number is now 159. We’ve allocated these vehicles to ensure they are located where they are needed the most.

Reduced the total kilometres being driven

By “rightsizing” our fleet, the AER was able to reduce the total number of kilometres being driven in a year. In 2014, for example, staff racked up a hulking 6.1 million kilometres (km). That number dropped to 4.3 million km in 2017.

Reduced the average monthly CO2 emissions per vehicle

The AER’s average monthly CO2 emissions per vehicle dropped by approximately 20 per cent (from 0.833 kg to 0.672 kg) since 2014. That number will continue to drop over time.

Reduced our fuel consumption

Fuel consumption dropped 270 000 litres between 2014 and 2017. That’s enough fuel to drive from Edmonton to Ottawa more than 900 times!

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The business of making sure that energy development happens safely can be complex. To help bring clarity to these complexities, the Alberta Energy Regulator created Resource, our website for sharing stories, images, and videos on energy development and how it’s regulated in Alberta.